Directions and Goals


Because Song of Myself is important and interesting in so many different ways, it will be helpful to gain knowledge about history in the following senses:

  • American political and social history between the Revolution and the Civil War;
  • The history of poetry as a form;
  • The intellectual history of Young America;

In addition, Song of Myself is rich in details, with a multitude of characters and types, locations and scenes and so an immersion in popular culture and sociology will be helpful.